The Southern Highland Reader

REGIONAL–I posted recently about small hydro vs. big hydro, particularly in relation to the Dillsboro Dam controversy.

No surprise then that a short blurb about micro hydro caught our attention; micro hydro has to do with using very small watercourses — backyard streams for example — to create electricity for a small area.

I first saw such an operation about eight years ago, when Balsam Mountain Preserve installed a waterwheel-driven generator to supply power to a campground it built near Cabin Flats, south of Balsam Gap. I don’t know whether the Balsam generator is still in use — it struck me as a novelty — although I’ve included a picture or two here.

Meanwhile, the blurb I refer to is a workshop planned for July at Appalachian State University. It’s one of ten or so such workshops to be held this year at the school in Boone.

Read about them here.

Tags: appalachian state university, Balsam Gap, Balsam Mountain Preserve, Dillsboro, dillsboro dam, micro hydro power, small hydro

Related posts:

1. From the archives: Small dams and the big picture–info on small hydro
2. Wind power, ridgetops and current legislation
3. Murphy school a step closer to switching to solar power
4. Sylva fire station to add significant solar power system
5. Duke Energy power outages by county

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